Huntingdon firm is among country’s top exporters

July 14, 2010

Updated: Friday, July 16, 2010 (12:35)

at Cybit Ltd, Huntingdon is Graham Gordon with the new software

THE next time you are held up by heavy commercial vehicles travelling parallel to each other for miles on the A14, consider this: they may be contributing to the commercial success of a Huntingdon company.

THE next time you are held up by heavy commercial vehicles travelling parallel to each other for miles on the A14, consider this: they may be contributing to the commercial success of a Huntingdon company.

Even the European trucks that swell the road's HGV population may be being tracked by Cybit Limited's wireless web-based Fleetstar system.

So successful has the Kingfisher Way company been in attracting overseas business that last weekend it featured 13th - and number one in the East of England - in a new league table of export stars published by The Sunday Times and HSBC bank, the International Track 100.

Overseas sales for Cybit grew by 117 per cent in the two years from 2007 to 2009, reaching £6.5million out of total sales of £25.5million generated by 136 employees in the group.

Many of the trucks bearing instantly-recognised high street brands - though often operated by a third-party haulier - are tracked by the 10-year-old company's technology to optimise fleet efficiency.

Marketing manager Graham Gordon told The Hunts Post: "When the company was set up, the original concept was going to be as a data-hosting and bureau service managing other people's services, but it evolved very quickly into a telematics service. Now the European side of the business has taken off, too, in the last couple of years.

"It's all about driver efficiency, which client companies have identified as a good way to reduce costs."

The client list includes Carlsberg, Greene King, DHL, Wincanton (which operates fleets for several household-name retailers), the French haulier Norbert Dentressangle, Fowler Welch, with more than 1,000 refrigerated vehicles, and Kwik-Fit's mobile fleet.

"It helps them with compliance with mobile workers' safety, as well as with fleet costs, emissions management and eco-reporting," Mr Gordon said. "It's an exciting time to be here, and we can use the technology to solve their problems."

At the heart of success is a small device about the size of a CD case that reads the vehicle's management information system. The satellite-based transmission also identifies the vehicle's position.

"We package the information and send it to the customer. For some clients we also do the analysis. For refrigerated vehicles, that includes estimated arrival times and temperatures.

"The information includes a positional feed every 20 seconds, and we can provide street-level mapping. Organisations can compare vehicle with vehicle, so clients can manage their businesses better."

Recent contract wins have included SIS Live, the company that provides extensive outside broadcast services to the BBC, ITV companies and Sky, and Volvo's construction equipment division.

Cybit is also a global leader in the field of EEZ fisheries management, tracking many thousands of fishing vessels on a daily basis.

"Telematics is a really interesting subject to be in," Mr Gordon said.